DragonLady Writing Challenge #4
Up until the twenty-first of June, my heart had been won by one character alone in the Harry Potter universe. Granted, I am most like Hermione and my rightful house is Ravenclaw, but unrivaled in my affections was the Head of Slytherin House, Severus Snape. Now, though... now he has competition.

The competition is none other than the transparent mask of Book Four. During the Triwizard Tournament, I was lukewarm towards the Defense Against Dark Arts teacher. He was an excellent educator, true, but his complete devotion to Potter and unceasing tormenting of Snape was specious. While I was as surprised as anyone that the ex-Auror was actually an ex-Death Eater, I was happy I would never see twitchy Mad- Eye Moody again.

Until now. The real Alastor Moody has stood up and proven to be any thing but a cliché. He has Batman's devotion and suspicion, Burrich's sense of humor and solidity, Wyldon's skill and honor, and Captain Picard's experience and flair. His acceptance of death when he tells Potter to continue ahead in case of harm to meet the rear guard in the beginning of the book is expected, as was his desire to double- back to hide their trail. But Moody delivered both with a touch of steadiness that Barty Jr. lacked. His showing Harry the picture of the previous Order and lectured Harry on wand safety displayed a touch of humanity, as did his tactful silence when Lupin comforted the post-boggart Molly. However, the action that put me completely into Moodylove was the final scene, when Alastor raises his bowler hat and says, "Yes, I'd have to say you do, Dursley." The humor and style in that simple statement is impossible not to love.

While Moody was a delight, the centaurs were irritating. I can understand their feelings of superiority, I also understand that the only thing between them and Macnair wannabes is the Ministry of Magic. Show a little gratitude, horse-people. Also annoying was Umbridge, a paper woman who would have followed Hitler as willingly as Fudge. Fortunately, she received her just desserts. Clop, clop!

Umbridge did serve a purpose beyond a device for the ministry, though. She was a device to show Harry's stupidity. He cut himself with a known enemy's possession without knowing what had been done to it - the basic rule of magic is that blood seals any spell to near permanence. He also repeatedly taunted a Ministry spy, set himself up for more painful detentions and proved to many he was crazy. He also managed to charge into a volatile situation head first and get in such trouble that the Order has to bail him out... and Sirius get killed.

Though it wasn't all his fault. Dumbledore, fully knowing himself and fully warned by Hermione what Harry does when he has no information, didn't tell Harry anything. Didn't even let the Order fully warn him. Dumbledore then trusted Snape, who has never put his personal feelings for Harry aside for duty's sake, to teach Harry something as vital and intimate as Occlumency. It was as if during the summer he fell out of the dumb tree and hit every branch on the way down.

Percy also fell out of the tree, showing a reprehensible devotion to ambition, to the point of following blindly an authority that has proven itself unreliable by overriding the basic right of due process in sending people to jail without trial. Percy is the type of person who brought Hitler to power, and would have brought Voldemort to power had Harry not forced him to tip his hand early. Percy, like the Dursleys, is so low-ceilinged he sees only his own world and desires and would follow anyone who furthers those plans, even in the denial of his own sense and kin.

Snape also disappointed me. When it most counted, when he most needed to swallow his pride and do what needed to be done, he failed. When Dumbledore most relies on him, he failed. The first step to any mental discipline is organizing your mind. Only an organized mind can defend itself, yet Snape skips straight to attacking Harry. He doesn't teach, he bullies. Sink or swim doesn't work with telepathy, you have to teach meditation first, then move on. That takes objectivity and patience, skills Snape must have to be able to make Potions. And yet, he lets his emotions take precedent... he puts the needs of the one over the needs of the many, his desire supersedes his duty. It is his greatest and most constant failing, one that it's getting harder and harder for me to forgive.

Yet, for all the characters' failings, the successes are great. We finally meet Longbottom's parents in a scene most touching, and find out what happened to Gilderoy. Ron finally gets some glory, and Harry rises above his anger to congratulate him, showing an empathy he previously did not display. Black is shown to be a man who rises above his childhood construction, his family's prejudices. Molly, an often flat character, is given an inner core of strength by allowing her family to face danger while simultaneously trying to protect them, and dealing with the conflicting emotions with a grace that is unexpected in a housewife.

Also a success is the plot. It is tightly-woven and moving, dark without being sick. Unlike other authors, Rowling manages to convey fear and death without drenching her readers in gore. Rowling shows the darkness of the Ministry in greater detail as the Ministry runs roughshod over freedom of press and expression in the Daily Prophet and in Hogwarts. The right to privacy is also destroyed. The cruelty and willingness to follow Fudge's unethical course found in both the Ministry and the wizarding world shows that Voldemort is only the next logical step in their progression. Indeed, he may be just what they deserve. One cannot argue that a stint under Voldemort would teach them not to take such liberties for granted, and it would also teach "wizards on the street" to pay more attention to what goes on around them.

With it's masterful plot and human characters, it is obvious that J.K. has truly hit her stride with this book. My only true complaint against the book, the only thing that I would see changed is that Voldemort is still a paper villain. Both he and his followers are painted as completely without love and loyalty. Dumbledore again says that Voldemort is completely inhuman and without love, a fact that flies in the face of basic psychology. No one is completely one thing or another, there is always conflict. Somewhere, somewhen, Voldemort loved... and the memory of that love is with him still. That Rowling does not say so, that she has a straw villain with no complexity or conflict is her writing's only flaw.

Nevertheless, I look forward to more... though here's to hoping it's not another three-year wait.